From the Mouth of Sauron Date: 05-31-95 Issue: E-33 Note: all authors retain exclusive rights to their material. Reprinting is allowed for non-commercial game use only. The Mouth is edited by Brian Mason and Tom Walton. All correspondence can be sent to them at: Brian Mason - mason@chara.gsu.edu Tom Walton - kazandar@ix.netcom.com Back issues of "From the Mouth of Sauron" and the general info files are available at chara.gsu.edu via anonymous ftp. First Word ========== A few issues ago I encouraged our authors to take their work and submit it to GSI's "Whispers" for print. The idea here was that you could take a piece which you'd written for us - and received nothing for it except the undying gratitude and adulation of the Mouth's editors - and actually get something in return for your efforts, like a free setup. Well, Brian and I decided to take our own advice and are currently re-writing some S&T's for publication (hopefully). While reviewing the S&T's in question I started jumping around past editions of the Mouth (laughing uproariously again over Leslie Foreman's articles - how I miss her wit) and suddenly realized that the Mouth has been in publication for two years this month. Taking into account that we were off for about six months, we produced 33 issues in 18 months time despite the constant and very unprofessional delays, which overall isn't too bad as e-zines go. So the odd number of issue 33 becomes the two-year anniversary issue. We promise to do something special, like include a color cover or something of the sort (grin). I thought of throwing in some rather interesting .jpg files I used to create a torrid screen saver for a co-worker (which I loaded onto his PC as a joke), but they'd no doubt end up insulting quite a few people with more conventional tastes. Boy, the stuff you can find on the net.... In any case, I'd once again like to thank all of you who contributed in the past to the Mouth; without you we would've crashed and burned a long time ago. I'd also like to thank those of you who went to all the effort and trouble to load up the issues on various sites for the enjoyment of others; it's always flattering to ftp to some site and discover the Mouth in it's entirety sitting there, put up by someone we don't know and has never emailed us but thought enough of our rag to do the job. On to mail lists, I recently had quite a few people unsubscribe as they were leaving college and didn't know when they'd get a new account or where. This reduced my direct mailout dramatically. I also had another error with AOL on the way out, wherein the lists were scrambled yet again on the last day. I tried to reconstruct them, but I'm certain that some names were lost (please, don't point out that I should keep everyone in a separate data file elsewhere; I know that I'm inherently lazy and spaced out and that this pisses off the people who suffer for it. But again, I don't get paid for this so phhhhpt!). If you know of anyone who's wondering why the hell they aren't getting the Mouth anymore, just tell them that Tom - once again - blew his lists to hell. Also tell them that I'm off AOL (those 12-step programs really work) and with luck this will never happen again. I hope you've enjoyed the last two years of the Mouth. Though the production of the emag has often resulted in people seeing me shouting and screaming at my computer, threatening to throw the bloody thing out of my window if it didn't comply with my will, I've always been happy with the end result. I don't do anything I don't want to unless someone offers me an enormous stack of money, so the fact that I'm still plugging away means that I must like what I'm doing. Tom News from the Net ------------------------------------------------------- Post #1 ------------------------------------------------------- From: prt1@merlin.etsu.edu (Philip R Tripp) Subject: ME:Unknown 2950 Riddle Date: 27 Apr 1995 20:40:45 GMT My low-level emissary just got this encounter in the Mordor region. Any clues? (character) was hastening to take cover from a sudden and unseasonal storm when she came across an overgrown (or perhaps hidden!) path. Daring the unexpected opportunity as a welcome respite from the foul weather, she followed the path, finding it to be both narrow and broken. After a brief but difficult trek, she was relieved to enter the small, hidden cave found at the path's end. To her surprise, the cave provided not only shelter from the weather but also an interesting discovery. In the center of the cave was an oblong block of dark stone, engulfed in a faint transparent blue light that covered the entire surface. Upon the stone lay something that did not shine, but attracted her attentino nonetheless. The cave seemed almost to be calling her. She couldn't tell what it was, and certainly the item there was a powerful artifact, she thought, but how might one breach the possible protections? attack PHYSICALLY to drive off any gaurdians attack MAGICALLY to dispel any wards Creep forward silently and REMOVE the item from the stone block Leap forward and STEAL the item from the stone block WAIT and see if the shimmering light goes out Declare your ALLEGIANCE Say _________ FLEE If no response from the net seems appropriate, I will respond WAIT not really caring what happens to my green emissary. Look for what happens two weeks from today... ------------------------------------------------------- response from "Robert E. Bolin" (draugnar@iglou.com) ------------------------------------------------------- What an INTERESTING encounter. It sounds kind of like the knife that Merry (or was it Pippin) got out of the barrow wights. But that is just a speculation. ------------------------------------------------------- response from jeffrey460@aol.com (Jeffrey460) ------------------------------------------------------- I waited with a low level dark servant Emmiasary and was killed by a Druedain(Pukel-Man). ------------------------------------------------------- Post #2 ------------------------------------------------------- From: hathomas@aol.com (HAThomas) Subject: MEPBM 2950 Riddle Help Date: 6 May 1995 12:35:35 Can anyone help with this riddle from MEPBM 2950? To many it was simply fate, and to others it was a symbol of hate. ------------------------------------------------------- Post #3 ------------------------------------------------------- From: Patrick F. McGehearty (patrick@convex.COM) Subject: MEPBM: Riddle Date: 16 May 1995 10:25:15 I thought I had the answer to the following, but apparently not: A gentle being made mad by ancient power From the sun did he cravenly cower. A miserable life of full of fearful loss An extended life, but at what cost? Following them, ever did follow he Til he found a peaceful end to his long misery. I've tried Smeagol and Frodo. Perhaps the ancient power is not the One Ring? Any suggestions out there? ------------------------------------------------------- response from johnb@wotangate.sc.ti.com (John Bach) ------------------------------------------------------- Its been over 20 years since I read Lord of the Rings, and I don't play MEPBM, but I seem to remember that this description fits Golum (sp?) - that creature which had the One Ring through most of the first couple books of the Trilogy, and travelled (followed) with Frodo for awhile. Now that I think about it, the description fits him perfectly - it must be him! ------------------------------------------------------- response from phredd@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Phredd Groves) ------------------------------------------------------- Perhaps you're being too specific. - Hobbits? First thing I thought of was Smeagol too. Not a very peaceful end though. ------------------------------------------------------- response from ajm@MCS.COM (Alan Miller) ------------------------------------------------------- Just out of curiousity, did you consider trying "Gollum"? If that's also wrong, you _might_ try Bilbo, though I think that's stretching it by a pretty long shot. Also, Smeagol (and Deagol) weren't actually hobbits, but I can't recall the actual name. Stoors perhaps? ------------------------------------------------------- response from kgiven@aol.com (KGiven) ------------------------------------------------------- I wouldn't try Gollum - you already have when you said Smeagol (g), who by the way is a Hobbit ( a Stoor, one of the three subraces of Hobbits). I suspect the answer comes from the First Age material. My first thought was Hurin (father of Turin Turambar & Nienor) - it fits everything except the extended life part. Other possible answers include Daeron or Gwindor. ------------------------------------------------------- response from holzhauer@delphi.com (Jeff Holzhauer) ------------------------------------------------------- I'd try Gollum. If the answer is Gollum, Smeagol should have worked too, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if they failed to think of that. I guess that they might argue that the riddle only describes Gollum, since he was Smeagol *before* being driven mad and cowering from the sun. ------------------------------------------------------- response from rkunkel@ix.netcom.com (Roland Kunkel ) ------------------------------------------------------- Smeagol he was... Golem he became... But what's in Name ? ------------------------------------------------------- response from phy6drhj@ast.leeds.ac.uk (Dean Johnson) ------------------------------------------------------- This sounds far more like Melkor himself. ------------------------------------------------------- response from Ian Pearson (ian.pearson@bbsrc.ac.uk) ------------------------------------------------------- What about Gollum ? ------------------------------------------------------- Post #4 ------------------------------------------------------- From: darren@unity.ncsu.edu (Darren L Frechette) Subject: MEPBM 2950 Riddle Date: 18 May 1995 14:29:55 GMT I followed an obscure trail and found a small subterranean cave where the passage of time has seemed to stop. There is a sense of power about the place. On one wall I see enscribed in runes and glyphs of power: It points south from the inner side of the high ground With its own high heights and lower than low places. It is known from afar that by greater magics it is bound and that it awaited the return of its lord's dire graces. Ideas? ------------------------------------------------------- response from holzhauer@delphi.com (Jeff Holzhauer) ------------------------------------------------------- I'd suggest Barad-dur. 1. Look at it on the map (3423). 2. It is written in the books as a tower (high) and the crack the Ring was thrown into is there (low) 3. ???? 4. Waited for Sauron's return from Dol Guldur ------------------------------------------------------- Post #5 ------------------------------------------------------- From: KingLehr@aol.com Subject: Re: #1(3) mouth_32 Date: Sun, 21 May 1995 16:40:23 I solved a riddle in the 2950 game. I don't know if anyone has had it yet, but here it is: Tenth by the first, And tenth by the second, Third by the third, yet always thirty by all who reckon. The answer was "Narquelie", the tenth month in the King's and Steward's Reckonings. ------------------------------------------------------- Post #6 ------------------------------------------------------- From: atischer@cse.utoledo.edu (August Tischer) Subject: MEPBM 2950 Riddle Date: Mon, 22 May 1995 16:14:25 GMT I have had an encounter in the MEPBM 2950 game and wondered if anyone else has successfully solved it. The character is at 2436 if that helps any. CHARACTER is at camp when a sudden chill passes through her and a shadow momentarily obscures the stars overhead. Alert and ready for action, she scanned the surrounding terrain but could see nothing. Then from out of the night she heard a hollow voice. "Little do I like finding others so near to where my errands take me. Speak, lest I silence you forever." ATTACK the speaker Declare your ALLEGIANCE INTERROGATE the speaker about the errand APOLOGIZE for the intrusion REQUEST information WAIT and say nothing Say _______ (only one word) FLEE Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. A Short Clip ============ Tom's note: I received this from Dave in game 2950-22 following an error in getting a turn in on time and thought to reprint it here. Someone had blundered. The parties at Edoras had gone on almost to the dawn, and with good reason, thought the Rohirrim. The fall of the Cloud Lord and the Dog Lord, the coming invasion of Morgul Vale. What red-blooded son or daughter of Eorl would not celebrate such glad tidings? The morning after, Medeuseld looked like a band of Noldor Elves had hit it. Bodies slumped everywhere in alcolhol-induced catatonia. Slowly, Theoden stirred, groaning and brushing crumbs out of his beard. He whispered, for his head hurt too much to shoud, "Bring me the messengers, I must issue orders to my commanders." Eowyn staggered to the great hall's doors and flung them open, letting in the bright morning sunlight. "My lord 'tis daytime. We seem to have lost an entire day in our revels. The Dunlendings have left. Our men are in no condition to follow." Theoden moaned again, cupping his head in his hands to keep it from splitting apart. Oh the disgrace of it all. And worse, he'd have to listen to Ecthelion's sanctimonious diatribe on the evils of mead and the responsibilities of command. The thought only made Theoden's head hurt worse. Comments from Wes Fortin ======================== >I just had an encounter in the Rhun area in a 1650 game. [Brian -- >you may have already seen my post on r.g.pbm about this.] I >originally thought it was a vampire even though the options were >different, but someone suggested it may be an ent. The "errand" >refered to may be the search for entwives. What do you think? >Here's the description... > >He is at camp when a sudden chill passes through him and a shadow >momentarily obscures the stars overhead. Alert and ready for >action, he scanned the surrounding terrain but could see nothing. >Then from out of the night he heard a hollow voice. "Little do I >like others so near to where my errands take me! Speak, lest I >silence you forever." > >ATTACK the speaker >declare your ALLEGIANCE >INTERROGATE the speaker about the errand >APOLOGIZE for the intrusion >REQUEST information >WAIT and say nothing >say __________ >FLEE Had that encounter a few times - it IS a vampire! As for troop types. GSI should either just have two (infantry or cav), or make the other types more cost effective. Historically, the big difference between heavy and light troops was training and equipment. GSI seperates training and equipment quality as seperate functions. So, why bother having light troops in the system? They cost too much for their affectiveness. As for archers and men-at-arms. These tended to be more mobile. Men at arms were basically cannon fodder with a spear (peasants) or mercenaries. They should cost nothing to maintain. Archers were very valuable because they could attack BEFORE there enemy closed ranks with it's cav and HI. Archers would devestate cav charges and soften the ranks of the footsoldiers by raining arrows on them. In MEPBM, archers are hacked to shreds. I think GSI needs to pump up archers a bit more - perhaps by giving them one or two rounds of attack BEFORE attackers close with them - thus giving them the range advantage they need. I'd also like to see more in the way of guerilla warfare. Archers hit a cav column then run away before the troops can get to them - etc. More thoughts on troop types: I also think the game would be enhanced by differenciating troops more. For example: - - give elephant riders a better overrun chance - - All trolls get the equivalant of leather armor and bronze weapons at no extra cost (materials) to reflect their toughness. - - dwarves get a constitution bonus - - elven armies get a combat bonus (they were quite impressive in the Tolkein books!) - - elves get more movement points, dwarves get fewer - - riders of rohan/Eothraim spend less to maintain cav etc. - - Woodmen get bonuses for evasion (that fabled stealth!) - - Men at arms cost nothing to maintain (except food) for Dark Servants (ain't conscription great!) In short, make each nation much more different than now. At present, a troll is just as good as a human, elf, or dwarf. I wouldn't want to fight one! It also makes some of the battles from Tolkein more possible. Hordes of orcs (MA) would be a very viable alternative to the poor DS nations and those armies could be supplimented by trolls. This would also give another dynamic to the combat that would make it more fun to play certain positions. Everyone has gone on forever about how overpowered agents are. I agree. As Tom pointed out, no one got assassinated in Tolkeins books. How is a single being going to steal the tons of gold? Agents should be sabatoers and scouts/info gatherers (though Steal Artifact is also reasonable). Any thing else is just abusive. Middle Earth was saved by army action and one lucky hobbit - not by dread assassins slaying national leaders. Comments Concerning Men-at-Arms =============================== By Darren Beyer With all the talk of Men at Arms and mercenaries I thought I'd contribute a few thoughts. It seems that GSI treats Men at Arms as mercenaries. I don't like this because it implies that all mercenaries are poor troops. Historically this was not at all the case, German Landsneckt and Swiss Pikeman were prime examples elite mercenaries that were the betters of most regulars. "Men at Arms" should be just that, the poorly trained, non-professional soldiers. So what to do about mercenaries? Mercenaries should not be a separate type of troops, they should be a separate "class" of troops. Mercenaries were typically expensive to hire and maintain, but were extra troops available to a commander when he had exhausted other resources or needed some extra muscle. Consider the following idea for the handling of mercenaries: Mercenaries would be recruited with orders separate from normal recruitment (i.e. you would have one order for each Merc HC, Merc LC, Merc HI, Merc LI, etc.). Additionally mercenary troops would be kept separate from regular troops (i.e. you could have regular HI and merc HI kept in the same army and treated as two different troop types. To reflect the cost invloved with hiring mercenaries, the merc hiring orders would be associated with a cost equal to a multiplier of turn of maintenance for the troop type hired (i.e. you would be paying the maintenace starting on the turn of hiring rather than starting the turn after). Additionally mercenaries would be more expensive than their regular troop counter parts (possibly a 1.5x cost modifier/turn). Also, since mercenaries aren't "permanent" they would not contribute to a player's army victory points. A 1.5 cost? Gold on the turn of hiring? Don't count toward VP's? Why would I want Mercenaries? Mercenaries, almost by definition, are trained fighters. If they weren't they wouldn't be alive to be mercenaries! Mercenaries would begin with a high training rank (possibly 30-40). This would be constant for all nations (just because the Noldo, who start with 25 trng, hire some mercenary heavy infantry, doesn't mean those same mercenaries would be any better for them than say the Dragon Lord). The big advantage for mercenaries is that they could be hired IN ADDITION to other troops recruited at the pop center, but would be limited to 1/2 the normal recruitment limit (i.e. you could recruit 400 regular HI at a major town and recruit an additional 200 mecenaries in the same turn). Armies could not be "hired" with mercenaries. To add some spice you could incorporate the ideas seen in Mouth 31 such as having the possibility of vacilating mercenaries or those that simply choose not to participate in the battle. Mercenaries were a big part of medieval armies, but are basically non-existant in MEPBM. They should be. I guess its another thing to add to the MEPBM wish list. My Thoughts on Various Subjects =============================== by Kevin McGee E-mail Turns ------------ For someone such as myself who has a PC running Windows and an AOL account, the sending and receiving of ME-PBM turns by e-mail couldn't be simpler. Without getting into the advantages and disadvantages of AOL over other services; free or otherwise, (I have 4 e-mail accounts; AOL, CI$, work - gsfc.nasa.gov and school - - apl.jhu.edu) I find myself using AOL the most for my hobbies. I will concede to all the users of other services that I do not use AOL for anything on the Internet beyond mail. However, back to the subject of GSI ME-PBM E-mail turns. The joy of having a crucial turn processed on Wednesday and being able to see the results that evening is incredible. Add to this the awesome capability that my teammates and I can now see each other's turns within hours of them being distributed. Are there disadvantages? Certainly. For myself they are very few. Is GSI making a killing on me? Yes and I hope that they adjust prices for e-mail players, otherwise I may move on to PBEM games that cost $2.50 per turn (such as Olympia). Is GSI's method of transmitting the turns the most efficient? Absolutely not. GSI sends me a .pdf (Portable Document Format) file that runs about 90 Kbytes as a file attached to an e-mail message. It takes around 90 - 100 seconds to download. It takes about 10 seconds to forward it to my teammates. Remember, GSI is a Mac shop, maybe it's the best they can do. I think that they were looking for a method that would be easiest (read smallest changes) for them and accessible to the most people. I can't say if they met either goal. But for me the bottom line is - I love it. If you want to continue to receive your turns by USPS, go for it! ME 2950; Is it disappointing? ----------------------------- I am of two minds when I think about ME 2950. The idealist in me is mightily disappointed with what was done with the new scenario. GSI took the broad, sweeping canvas and colorful palette of Middle Earth and composed a quick charcoal sketch. Most of the differences between ME 1650 and ME 2950 are so small as to be cosmetic. The only changes that are significant are the ones to each country's starting pop centers and armies. But those changes give the 2950 scenario a new flavor, at least for the first 15 turns. The pragmatist in me sees a successful product that has been altered enough to rekindle the flagging interest of some of the customer base. If you were Bill Feilds, would you do a massive rewrite of one of the most popular PBM games on the market? The investment in time and dollars to bring a PBM game to market is substantial. Perhaps, for various reasons, he was not willing to significantly alter a popular design and risk the investment needed for a redesign. I don't know, I am not defending GSI, but neither will I deride them. ME-PBM is not perfect, but it is a fun, playable game. PBM designers vary in their responsiveness to players' suggestions. GSI does not seem to be very responsive at all. Again, from a pragmatic standpoint, it may be too expensive to change ME-PBM to reflect players' ideas no matter how insightful or clever they are. Even the companies that are responsive to player input often can't hold my attention long enough to implement changes. I find that I play PBM games for about three years, sometimes less. It has been like that since Crane I. By the time I have played a game enough to thoroughly understand it and be able to offer meaningful design tweaks, my fuse is down to 18 - 24 months. Even if the company could evaluate my proposals and implement them in six months, I'm almost done playing the game anyway. I not saying that critiquing game designs and offering PBM designers feedback is futile, or wasted effort. I'm just telling you why I don't really dabble in that for games that are already released. I much prefer to do that in the playtest stage. As to Jeff Holzhauer's comment that he found the Woodmen position boring, I would ask Jeff this; Do you find the Woodmen position boring or is your FP team lacking in coordination and thereby making it boring? I am playing in several games and the two that I am enjoying the least are games in which I joined alone and the FP are not well organized. The other games I am in are all team games and they are very exciting. IMHO, ME-PBM is a team game and if your side does not start as a team or evolve into one, you will probably lose and it will most likely be boring. In the FP team games I am in the Woodmen are fighting the Dragon Lord and the Witch-king tooth and nail. And in all three the DS in Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains are in deep kimchi. Of course, the other FP are helping considerably. Gold, material, armies, characters, timely use of the Mantle of Doriath, FP curse squads. In one of these games the FP are financing a Woodmen army of 2000 HI. Frankly, I'm having a ball in those game and the Woodmen seem to be too. Of course, biting your fingernails up to your elbows is exciting for some and stressful for others. ME-PBM Web Page --------------- I've seen the Web page maintained by Phredd Groves. It looks really good. Nice work, Phredd. King Tarondor's Ride -------------------- Excellent fiction, Jon. I enjoyed reading it. Population Center Combat ------------------------ This is one of the best reasons to subcribe to the Mouth. Expert analysis presented in a easy to use form. This is going up next to my ME-PBM map. The War of the Ring: A Proposal ------------------------------- I like the ideas Tom proposed. It would be tough to balance, but certainly not impossible. GSI's product is not very complex and the combat system is damn close to "hand waving." I would enjoy a detailed, grand tactical treatment of the combat described in the triology. But won't character development also have to be dumped given a 48 week time scale? Would I play it? Absolutely. At least once. ;-) Would I pay for it? Good chance. More Commentary =============== >From Ken Lee Hello to all, firstly I must congregate everyone (especially Tom and Brian) who have written in the Mouth because I think it one of the best read (for free) around and I can not even begin to tell you how much it has help me in my game. I am actually writing in Australia, so anyone who is playing this game and has access to the Mouth, could they please write to me on kelee@st.nepean.uws.edu.au. I am playing the Sinda Elves in game 2 and is going to play the Cloud Lord in game 4 when that gets going. As you can see, there isn't many of us playing this game in Australia. All personal stuff a side, now I would like to put my two cents in. Since the beginning of the I have found that Men-At-Arm and the two types of light troops are almost useless. It take twice as long and twice the material to recruit them when you could just recruiting heavy troops and save time and resouces. I think that GSI really could do something about this. I feel the best way is to add one to the two light troops. Hence, two light troops could gang up on one heavy troop and beat him (which to me make more sence). Archers, I feel is a different matter as you see in this table. It is a table of weapon rank vs troop strength. I have taken the command rank, morale rank and training ranking all to be 30, and almost everything else to 100. Also there are 300 troops of each type. Weapon Heavy Light Heavy Light Archer Men-At-Arm Rank Cavalry Cavalry InfantryInfantry =========================================================== 0 2760 1380 1725 863 - 345 10 2880 1440 1800 900 - 360 30 3120 1560 1950 975 - 390 60 3480 1740 2175 1088 1305 435 100 3960 1980 2475 1238 - 495 You may say, so what is so special about this? If you look at the cost of an archer (2 gold) vs the cost of heavy cavalry (6 gold) and the cost of heavy infantry (4 gold), you may see a different side to thing. For the cost of 300 cavalry, you could hire 900 archers which could give you the strength of 3915. By my calculation, you would need a weapon rank of about 92 for the heavy cavalry to match this! For the heavy infantry, it is no different, 600 archers = 2610 strength which is more then any heavy infantry which cost the same to beat even at a weapon rank of 100. Now tell me how many nations is going to have all of these metal to equip their troops (not the Sinda Elves!). So if you have time to recuite men, I feel that archer is a good buy. The problem is of course the time needed to recuit these men, the food they consume and they are never around long at all as shown in this table. Armor Heavy Light Heavy Light Archer Men-At-Arm Rank Cavalry Cavalry InfantryInfantry =========================================================== 0 4800 2400 3000 1500 600 600 10 5280 2640 3300 1650 660 660 30 6240 3120 3900 1950 780 780 60 7680 3840 4800 2400 960 980 100 9600 4800 6000 3000 1200 1200 I really feel that any metal in store, it should go toward armor and not weapon. You could hire archers with no resources at all but don't waste armor on archers, hire some heavy troops who can get more benefit out of it. Also too, there is only one other way to effect your constitution, magic. There are a lot more ways to change your strength. ie. war machines, artifact.... Another way which you could make archers better is to let them attack an army adjacent to them. Here is the rules and requirments for this to happen... 1. The enemy army must be adjacent to the archers. ie. Too close to shot if in the same hex. And a direction must be given. 2. The archers strength is half (even a third or a fourth) of its normal strength. ie. Not as accurate. If more than one army (see 5) is present, then this is divided again. You can not pick who you fire at. 3. Any movement order to the army/navy will fail. ie. the archers must stand its ground and to stop a archers from hit and run. 4. This order can not effect an army that is in a pop. cnt. with fortification, a forest hex, a mountain hex or a hill hex. ie. Too much protection for arrows to be effective. This order can not reduced fortification either. 5. Can only fire if enemy is present. If only allies is in the hex, then the order is ignored. If both are present, then the archers will fire and the allies army take a fouth (or a fifth depending on 2) of the damage. 6. And of course, archers must be present in the army. I would put this order in 265 called Use Archers, coded usearc. I feel this make a lot of sense since now, the archers can do what archers do best, taking enemy down at distances. I have place this order after all of the other army attack order because during a fight, archers can not pick out their targets properly. In concludion, I would say that archers are not as bad as they seem, but only recuiting them is almost a death wish. I could see how they can change the archers a little, too. Maybe they can fight better and move faster in forest. It almost pains me to see my elven archers being cut down like they were nothing by a mob of orcs. I am only up to turn six in the game, so I can't help you much with the climate, but here is what I have got. Spring:- @ 2908 - Cool @ 2608 - Cool @ 2514 - Warm @ 2413 - Warm @ 2325 - Warm @ 2709 - Cool @ 4413 - Cool Anyway, there is my two cents and keep up the good work everybody. Also from Ken: I have reasons to believe that the encouter which the child is crying near the lake could give you different result depending on your luck. Last turn, I have a character hearing a faint cry from a child past a small lake. By the encounter list you have, I should only encounter the Mewlip, but that was only half right. Fortunatly for me, I have another character in the same hex, so I made a `forced' encounter with him. I made both of the characters SEARCH for the voice. The result? Well the character who react normally to the voice got ambushed by the Mewlip. She survived and escaped badly wounded (with a health of 74?) The character who `forced' the encouter found the small child and return the child the a camp need by and the camp leader gave my character 12600 gold pieces with no skill rank improvement for both. So what do you make out of that? Also, if an agent fail to do his/her order. Is there any "rule" as to what chance they have of surviving? And if they do, is there any way to tell about how much damage they may get? Does some of the orders gives a better chance to surviving? Maybe you can ask to readers to send some info to the Mouth? MEPBM AS A MILITARY SIMULATION ============================== By James Vigil Although I am relatively new to the MEPBM game (it's my first PBM) I have some comments about how the game can be improved as a military and political simulation. First off, the most despairing thing I heard from another player soon after I joined my first game was the counsel "don't build anything but heavy infantry." Indeed the most common army in the game is an all-heavy infantry mob with wooden weapons. This may be appropriate to a Dark Ages mediaeval simulation, but I have always considered the Tolkien world to be a much more complex and cosmopolitan place, what with all the different races, magic, history, etc. The Free Peoples armies should resemble the more articulated armies of the Ancient World, such as the Macedonian army under Alexander and the successors, or the armies of the Roman Republic or Empire. They win by being better organized and commanded. The Dark Servants, on the other hand, benefit from sheer numbers and ferocity. You won't see any of this complexity in a typical MEPBM game. Tolkien enthusiasts will be amazed to see Dark Servant armies consisting of all Troll Heavy Infantry with nary an orc in sight. And all the heavy infantry is equal on a one-for-one basis. Here are some broad suggestions on how to give the armies more character and make them truer to the vision of the Tolkien world. These changes could be easily accomplished without changing the overall system very much. First off, make each nations recruiting area (the starting population center locations) the only place they can recruit non-merc troop types. At the start of the game, each nation's recruiting area is defined as being within two hexes of each town, major town and city. Outside of these areas, only mercenaries can be raised. Second, make non-mercenary troops less expensive to maintain than mercenaries once raised, but require that their creation cost gold. This is a cost above and beyond the existing "army creation" cost. For example, 500 heavy infantry will cost 2000 gold to raise in an existing army on a city, but will cost only one gold a turn to maintain. Mercenaries will cost nothing to raise, but will cost two gold a turn to maintain. The purpose of these first two rules will be to encourage a more realistic model of military recruiting and maintenance. Regular troop creation is expensive and is based on an existing system of barracks, training grounds and recruiting systems that seeks to create soldiers who are well trained and motivated. These troops are more expensive to create, but cost less to maintain. Men-at-arms, on the other hand, cost nothing to raise, but are a real drain on the treasury because they are motivated soley by lucre, not patriotism. Third, get rid of all or nothing battles. Instead, the losing armywill "break" when its morale drops below a certain level, causing the soldiers to run towards the nearest friendly supply source along the route of least resistance. Have the computer handle this. Example: 2000 North Gondor troops defeat an army of 3500 under the Fire King. Assume that Gondor's troops were betterarmed and trained and that the Fire King's army had abysmal morale. Gondor loses 2-300 troops, but the Fire King's army "breaks" after taking some losses. The losing army gathers 1-14 movement points away, going as far as it can towards a population center of its allegiance or nation, where the survivors regroup, their morale even lower than before! Add a new order called Attack and Pursue. This will allow armies to "follow-up" their opponents for a certain distance along their path of retreat. For each hex followed, they inflict more losses on their hapless foes. The downside of this is that they may pursue themselves out of the action. Certain nations will have a more impetuous tendency to get out of hand unless they have strong commanders (e.g. orc armies). Conversely, even a well-trained army ordered to pursue to fail to do so because of poor leadership and stop to pillage the enemy baggage! Add a new order called Delay. This will allow an all-cavalry army to fall back before a foe that is not all-cavalry, slowing them down but taking few losses themselves. Fourth, differentiate the troop types more. A "rock-scissors-paper" model would be appropriate. Unsupported heavy infantry is outmatched by enemy light infantry. Light infantry is ridden down by heavy cavalry. Etc., etc. Fifth, differentiate the racial troop types more. For example, allow the Dwarves to create heavy infantry at a training rank of 30 to reflect their aptitude for this type of army. Sinda Elves could create archers at a higher training rank and, perhaps, even higher combat values. Orcs value is in numbers, so allow the Dark Servants to recruit double the amount of, e.g, Orc light infantry, at a population center. However, make training of Orcs much more difficult (e.g. only 1-2 points of increase per commander attempt). Allow the nations in Harad to recruit Mumak-riders. These troops will force enemy cavalry to flee, but are themselves vulnerable to archers. The list is endless. This would add real flavor to the game for each nation. Sixth, I agree wholeheartedly with the comment in the previous Mouth of Sauron that Emissaries should be able to affect army morale. Seventh, army morale should affect movement as well as combat. Force marches should not be limited to 14 movement points. Increase it to 17 movement points. However, the additional force march points are awarded only if an army is supplied and has high morale. Otherwise, they go some distance, but not the whole amount. Eight, attrition. Armies that have low morale should begin to lose troops each turn to desertion. Double the desertion loss for men-at-arms. Allow enemy emissaries to affect armies with "defeatist" talk that encourages troops to desert. Ninth, bribery of troops. Allow emissaries to bribe enemy mercenaries to switch sides before a battle or ride off. Tenth, have battlefield events affect the strategic situation. In the Tolkien world, loss of a major battle would affect the morale of the home front. Have a battlefield loss or victory affect population center loyalty the same way a tax increase or decrease would, with the larger the battle having the greater effect. Make battles where armies are commanded by major leaders (e.g. Regents, etc.) have an even greater effect. This way, battles will become major events to a nation. No longer will nations throw their troops forward willy nilly. Of course, small battles should have little or no effect on morale on large population centers. Have them affect camps. The big towns are affected by big battles, etc. Eleventh, have some naturalistic effects added to the game: plagues, floods in the rivers during springtime, snowfall blocking the passes, triple attrition for troops without food in the desert unless they are adjacent to a river, etc. Again, these would be reasonable events that would fit into the logic of the game. Twelfth, I agree that agents have WAY, WAY, WAY too much impact in this game! Make assasinations EXTREMELY hard and give agents a range of orders more related to intelligence gathering. A successful assasination can occur against a well-guarded leader, but that should be only where an assasin is ready to trade one-for-one, his life for the target's. Assassins should be able to succeed, but increase the chance they get killed themselves. However, if an assasination does occur, and it is of a major character, then it should have an effect like a battlefield loss on the morale of the grieving nation. OR, to spice things up it could just get them madder! As you can see, I think there are many, many ways to improve this game without making it more complex. Erkenbrand's Rescue =================== Dave Rossell A shout, then a babble of noises arose from the street outside the window. Oh gods, thought Erkenbrand, not another bread riot. That would make the third one during as many fortnights of captivity. Erkenbrand glared at his three guards, each of whom looked back sullenly. "And to think there is an agent of the Enemy and his henchmen operating just outside Minas Tirith, and Ecthelion doesn't even know, never mind mount a rescue operation for the man who had recruited the ents and saved Osgiliath." The three guards sneered at these words and one of them walked toward the window to see what all the commotion was about. It took him a couple of heartbeats to see all he needed to see. He darted over to his companions for a furtive conference. Moments later, they were heading out the door, bolting it behind them. "Now what scared them?" muttered Erkenbrand as he rose to check the view for himself. "Well, well, well, no wonder they ran." Standing there, bold as a stallion in Spring, was Argirion of Gondor with his retinue. He strode up to the front of the seedy inn where Erkenbrand was imprisoned while the poor forming a nervous half-circle around him and his soldiers. Feet wide apart, arms crossed, he bellowed, "I understand that there is a cowardly, scum-eating character named Ufgamog staying at this pathetic rat-trap you call an inn. If he doesn't come out now, I'll burn the place down around him and his henchmen. The building is surrounded, there will be no escape. He has a choice, he can face me in personal combat, or cook like a bug in a fire." As if on cue, some Gondorian troops broke out pitch and began smearing the walls with it. Other soldiers lit torches. Very impressive display, Erkenbrand thought. They must have rehearsed it. Argirion did indeed seem perfectly willing to burn down half of Osgiliath, especially the poor quarter, in order to kill one of Ji Indur's agents and a few of his henchmen. Very interesting, thought Erkenbrand. He opened the shutters wider and leaned on the sill. At least I have a good view. And I can always try to climb down of Argirion really does fire the place. For a while, it looked as though that was going to happen. Then the inn door opened and Ufgamog staggered out, clearly pushed from the inn by the other residents (and maybe some of his henchmen). Ufgamog recovered some of his aplomb by spitting on Argirion's boots and drawing a sword. "Only in Gondor, " said Erkenbrand shaking his head slowly, "do they apprehend criminals by challenging them to personal combat. Why not just surround the place with 100 troopers, and break in with another 50? None of this silly grandstanding. Hm. But maybe this is supposed to impart some sort of lesson to the poor. Or maybe he intends to burn the place anyway as part of some sort of city renewal project." The clang and scraping of blades clashing ended Erkenbrand's musings. Ufgamog clearly didn't have a chance. Argirion cut and parried like a master, taking only glancing blows in return. After just a few moments Ufgamog was bleeding from more places than Erkenbrand could count. "I don't suppose Argirion knows the virtues of merc--, guess not," Erkenbrand said as the Gondorian beat aside Ufgamog's blade and plunged his own sword into the agent's chest. The calls and cheers stopped, and a hush fell over the street. Beggars and laborers looked at each other and shuffled their feet a bit. Blood everywhere. Buckets of blood, gallons of blood, it seemed, welling out of Ufgamog's body, flowing over the cobbles. Eventually, the groundlings stopped staring at the body. Only then did they see Argirion's lieutennants, all with drawn swords, all encouraging them to cheer. They cheered. Loudly, wildly. Argirion, who had been waiting patiently to acknowledge their accolades, smiled and waved his hand as the crowd dispersed back through the warrens and alleyways of Osgiliath. Erkenbrand could see Ufgamog's henchmen slipping away with the upstanding citizens of Gondor. Meanwhile, Argirion just stared at the inn, gnawing his lip. "By the Valar!" said Erkenbrand. "He's thinking of burning the place down anyway!" Well, enough was enough. Erkenbrand called out, "Lord Argirion, I thank you for slaying my captors. Do you suppose you could free me from this cell before burning my prison?" Argirion looked up in amazement. "Erkenbrand, is that really you! We had given you up for lost, thought you were halfway to the Dark Tower by now!" He gestured to his men, and they rushed inside. Moments later, Erkenbrand was free, embracing his rescuer in thanks. "Now, you weren't really thinking of burning down the inn, were you," said Erkenbrand sotto voice. Argirion grinned. He looked much older up close, but the smile almost erased the lines etched by worry and weather. "Of course not," he said loudly. Then softer, "But it doesn't hurt to grandstand a bit. You know, show a little bit of the sword, the strong right arm of Gondor. Then over the next few weeks, clean up this district, send in food and clothing, fix up buildings, and we will have won over the hearts and minds of the populace." Erkenbrand shook his head and grinned back. "We men of Rohan are a bit more straightforward in our methods." They turned and walked back toward the army together, aides and lietennants in tow. Erkenbrand rubbed his nose and glanced sidelong at the Gondorian. "You, ah, did know I was there, didn't you?" Argirion's grin turned absolutely wicked, but he didn't say a word. Questions for Bill Feild ======================== >From Brian Mason Recently, I sent a series of questions to Bill Feild. Most of these were simply clarifications, however, some of these may be of some interest to the readers, so I will enclose both the question and answer. 1. In both of my 2950 games (3 & 22) we saw the maps revert to the 1650 locations for those positions. Is this a permanent switch or an error? Can the correct maps be generated for this past turn (to track troop movement)? 1) The incorrect maps last turn occured for a few of the 2950 games as was not intentional! We corrected the error as soon as it was detected (over a week ago). If you wish to have correct map sent to you, drop us an email note (with security code) to that effect, or give as a fax number and we will fax a copy at no charge. 2. Is it true that, for population center combat, tactics do not matter? If this is so, then is the average troop modifier for population center combat only an average of three numbers (training rank, weapon rank, and troop terrain modifier)? 2) Page 59 of the rules indicates that tactics are not part of the pop center combat resolution. Only the remaining 3 factors are considered and averaged. 3. Can you use a hiding artifact to hide somebody elses population center? If you do so, is it hidden from them or you or everybody but them? 3) Yes, you can hide a pop center of another nation. It is treated just like any other hidden pop center - it is hidden to everyone except that nation. Of course, you can lift the 'hidden' whenever you wish... 4. Orders 400 to 412 states that "If there are not enough armor or weapons, if desired, then the armor/weapons for the recruits will be changed accordingly." This seems to imply to me that for example, formerly, if you attempted to used order 408 (HvInfan) recruiting 300 with bronze/bronze as weapon and armor, and there were only 300 total bronze in the hex then you would bet 150 bronze/bronze troops. As I interpret it now, you would get 300 troops. However, would they come out as 150 bronze/bronze, and 150 wood/none or 300 bronze/none, or 300 wood/bronze? 4) The 400-412 orders work the way they always have - the rulebook in an earlier edition was incorrect. Thus, in your example, you would get 300 troops and they would come out as 300 bronze/none, the weapons (300) being allocated first and then the armor (none left) 5. Do combat artifacts and offensive/defensive effect army combat on all "rounds" of army combat or only the first round? 5) Artifacts and spells all affect only once during combat per turn, the first round being the one they would show up in. True of Heart ============= By Tom Walton Author's note: I actually wrote the first version of this story almost three years ago, soon after I joined my first ME-PBM game. That version was so bad - I mean, truly terrible - I threw the whole thing out. Six months later I went back and wrote what follows. I recently rediscovered it on my drive while doing some housecleaning and thought to print it here ('hey! we'll print anything! and this proves it!'). It isn't exactly a masterpiece but I think it's passable. The idea behind the story is a simple one: that even the truly evil in Tolkien's world are in some manner heroic (who couldn't admire the Witch-King when he faced off with Gandalf at the gates of Minas Tirith?). And in this case, the heroism arises from the hopelessness of the Nazgul, treacherously enslaved by Sauron against their will. Power-hungry, cruel, yes; but did they have any idea of the price they'd ultimately pay? The Great Hall of Barad-Dur was a place of simple design, its walls unadorned by the hideous images that ran through most of the ancient citadel. No runes of power were engraved upon the flagstones, no gibbering demons lurked in the shadows; yet of all the places in Mordor, it was the most feared by the servants of the Dark Lord. Even the Nazgul dreaded entering the Hall, for it was here that Sauron, King of Men, held court over his empire. Uvatha, last of the Nine, knew that his audience with his Master would be unpleasant. He had failed in his mission, and so would be punished. The prospect terrified him as nothing else could; yet despite this, he tried to conceal his unease as he entered the Hall and strode up the long columned aisle to stand before the black marble throne. Halting some dozen feet from the raised dais, he looked up at the shadow that pooled upon the high seat. Sauron had failed to take a form, a sign that he was especially angry; the darkness was unbroken save for two red orbs which stared relentlessly down upon the Long Rider. A touch of power brushed Uvatha's mind, commanding him, and he knelt before the throne, head bent in supplication. "You've displeased me." The voice was cold as ice, and laced with venom. "I ask your forgivenness." Uvatha's reply was barely a whisper. "Forgiveness? I do not forgive. Another chance, perhaps, but never forgiveness. You've shown weakness, and this I cannot have in my servants." Another touch of Sauron's will, and the memory of Uvatha's failure blossomed to life in his mind. He saw himself once again, standing upon the field of victory with his army all about him. The defeated remnants of the tribes that had dared to defy Mordor, horsemen of the Great Eastern Plains, were gathered together in a fearful huddle, staring at him in unbridled terror. It was with good reason that they did so, for Uvatha was known to decimate his foes as an example to others. They had no hope that this time would be any different. He had walked to the foremost and grabbed a small child, a boy, to slay him by his own hand and so signal his army to fall upon the prisoners. Raising his sword, he had looked upon the boy's face, and that was when weakness took him. "Yes, you see your mistake." Sauron's words cut through the memory dimly. The boy had a face that Uvatha remembered from his mortal days, before he had taken the ring from Sauron; the visage of his youngest son, dead from sickness after only seven summers. The resemblance was so strong that for a moment he faltered in confusion and let the boy go, watching him run back to his mother. A long while passed as he stood still and silent before the cowering plainsmen, locked in an internal struggle between servitude and human memories. Emotions which had been dead in him for centuries erupted to life, overwhelming him; and he found that he did not know how to fight this battle. His struggles weakened, then died, and as they did he slowly sheathed his sword and turned to his gathered lieutenants. Briefly, he commanded that the prisoners be banished to the Northern Wastes, never again to return, and that they be allowed to travel unmolested from the plains. It was the first time that Uvatha had ever spared his enemies, and his warriors were stunned; but they didn't dare question him. "Weakness," Sauron's words seethed with menace. "Compassion. Your failure was the first among the Ulairi, an act of mercy. It cannot be tolerated." The memory faded, and Uvatha waited silently for Sauron to pronounce his punishment. "Fortunately I've a way in which you can redeem yourself in my service." No word was spoken, but two orcs appeared from a side entrance, a small figure held between them. They approached the throne, allowing Uvatha a better look at their prisoner. He came to his feet, and again the confusion washed over him; for the prisoner was none other than the boy he had seen on the battlefield. "Yes. Your brother Ren tracked down the family as they fled north and stole him away." Uvatha could hear the cruel humor creep into his Master's voice. "I thought it appropriate that you restore my faith in you through that which shook it." Sauron paused, and Uvatha was struck with dread. "Slay him." The sword was in his hand before he consciously became aware of it, poised above the boy's bare neck. He could see the horror and loathing in the young face, not for Uvatha but for the thing that coiled upon the throne. Even imminent death was less terrifying than the Dark Lord. Uvatha raised up the sword to strike, then stopped, his limbs unaccountably frozen. "Slay him!" Again Uvatha tried to strike, and could not. "Obey me!" Images swirled in his mind, drowning out the voice of his Master. He saw again his son, dead so many lifetimes ago, and only faintly heard the protest of his sword as it skittered across the flagstones, falling from his hand. For a timeless moment, it seemed as if his very soul cried out in pain, torn once again by the mortal passions that flared back from embers to raging flame; then the shadows fell away and his mind cleared. Not as it had been, but as it was before he'd taken up the Dark Lord's cursed ring. Memories of his ancient past had ripped Sauron's foul influence from his mind, banishing dark sorcery, and for the first time in millennia Uvatha was free. Hatred long-suppressed seized him, fury over Sauron's betrayal and deception. The Maia had stolen his mortal life and condemned him to hell, the eternal torture of undeath; he longed to exact vengeance. Slowly, he looked up at Sauron and smiled, murder in his voice. "No longer will I do your bidding." The Dark Lord's rage exploded outward to choke the hall, yet something else was also present, something that smelled like fear. Uvatha could feel Sauron's will bearing down on him, but he stood his ground against it as he never could before. "Your hold is broken, *master*. You cannot command me any more." He laughed, and the sound of it sent the orcs fleeing. "You'll have to slay me, for I will not serve you." The shadow facing him hesitated before replying. "I think you will, Uvatha. My power over you is complete. Now pick up your sword." "I won't. I reject you, as I should have done when I first laid eyes on you." A sigh issued from the blackness, mocking Uvatha's defiance. "Only the true of heart can resist my will, Uvatha, and you sold your soul to me an age ago. Do you truly think you could free yourself from me? Do you forget the babes that you have slain, the innocent men and women that you've tortured? Have you no memory of the evil you've committed in my service? Do you think that the thousands that have perished by your hand have forgiven you your sins? "You're damned, Uvatha, damned by your own hand, and that make you mine for eternity. I will take you back; the Nine will not become Eight". "I'll die first." "We shall see." And with that the battle of wills began. In the depths of Barad-Dur, the Mouth was the first to feel the titanic struggle taking place above him. Immediately he raced for the stairs and began climbing the long flights to the Great Hall, readying himself to defend his master from whatever dared to challenge him. Outside the sky had darkened as Sauron's power gathered, and beneath his feet the very foundations of the citadel shuddered. Away in Imladris, Elrond paused in council and cocked his head as if listening, while upon the shores of southern Gondor Gandalf climbed upon a small hillock and stared east, as if trying to see over the mountains that loomed in the distance. In other places, those who were among the wise also became unaccountably troubled, their spirits darkened by a sudden foreboding. The Mouth continued upward, pausing only when the tower swayed; he could hear the cries of panic as orcs and men fled to the lower levels and out onto the pitted courtyard. Lightning flared from the top of the high tower, again and again, lighting up the valley until it seemed that the violence of the battle would shatter the citadel and rip the earth asunder. But before he reached the stairwell's end, the struggle began to diminish and the power disperse. By the time he reached the entrance to the Hall, the conflict was over, the sky once again clear through the arrow slits. Pausing at the threshold, he looked in and saw only Uvatha, standing before Sauron with a sword in his hand; and upon the sword writhed a young boy, not yet dead. Sauron spoke, and the Mouth drew back into the shadows, hiding himself; the words he heard chilled him. "Yes, Uvatha, you're still mine. I want you to remember this during all the days of your slavery, this brief moment of freedom. "I want you to remember, so that your agony and despair will be all the sweeter to me, each time I gaze upon you. I bound you not once, but twice; and never will there be a third time. You'll not challenge my word again. "Come and serve me, Uvatha.' With that, the Ringwraith drove his sword deeper into the boy. * * * Some years later, while the armies of Sauron mustered against the pitiful remnants of the Stone-Land, and his servants readied themselves for the final conflict between good and evil, Uvatha the Ringwraith searched the desolate hills north of Gondor for sign of he who carried the One. He knew that a halfling, a frail creature of little power, possessed his Master's greatest treasure; and now from the back of his fell-beast he scanned the steep hills, certain that the One was close. In this he proved to be right. The Long Rider, whose eyes were least changed by unlife, spotted two small figures struggling up the rocky slopes. Around the neck of one was an object bright in the world of Shadow, a thing that called to Uvatha and beckoned him. He knew it immediately, though he had yet to hold it, or truly, to lay eyes on it; for it was the One Ring, the master of that which he wore. The valley echoed with his shriek of triumph as brought his fell-beast about to drop upon his prey. Below, the two hobbits cowered and searched the skies, desperately seeking to hide from the hunter. In but a few moments, the quest of the Nine would be over, and Uvatha would be winging his way back to Barad-Dur with a prize beyond imagining. Soon none would be able to stand against the might of Sauron. It was Uvatha the Nazgul that laid hand upon sword and prepared to dive into the attack; and it was Uvatha the Nazgul who gathered the strength to call to his brethren to share in the victory. But it was Uvatha the man who reached forth past the prison of his mind to battle Sauron's sorcery once again, defying the Dark Lord's slavery with all his being. It was Uvatha the man, in those few brief moments, who clouded the mind and memory of Uvatha the Ringwraith, and taking reins in hand, directed the fell-beast to turn northward. The Uvatha of Sauron's making forgot what he had seen, and instead continued to scan the ground as he flew towards Mirkwood, seeking his quarry. Thus were Frodo and Sam spared, and the fate of Middle-Earth altered to something less certain. None knew that Uvatha, once a proud man whose greatest joy was found on horseback, perished in that short, titanic struggle, leaving only Sauron's servant to continue on. None also knew that one of Sauron's most terrible lieutenants had in the end defied him, and in so doing snatched certain victory from the Dark Lord's grasp. And none knew, not even the wise, that at the last, Uvatha had been true of heart. Last Word ========= >From Brian Mason A bit on continuing projects. First, thanks to many people, specifically, Greg Reid, Thomas Meier, Holger Eichmann, Kevin McGee, Tom Walton, Dennis DeYoung, and Rochelle Newman, the climate database is nearly complete. All that remains are winter climate conditions for Arthedain, Dragon Lord, Dog Lord, Blind Sorcerer, Ice King, Quiet Avenger, Long Rider, Dark Lieutenants, and Dunlendings and summer climate conditions for the Witch-King. Once these last few holes are filled in I will give the complete set of results. The bribe data is getting a bit more complete, but still is thin. Data on this and major town and city recons is requested. In what can only be considered a scheduling debacle, I've gotten myself in too many games, three of which are just getting started at the time I'll be out of town for three weeks. Now, if GSI email results came as postscript files I'd be fine, but with Adobe Acrobat licensing restrictions this is no help for me. If you hear an overly loud "arrghh!" sometime in the next month you'll know I let one of my juggling plates break. Also, we've been getting a bit thin of late with submissions. Any volunteers? Brian